Philippine police van rams protestors outside US embassy in Manila

A man raises his hands to the police during a protest in front of the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines, 19 October 2016.

Photograph: EPA/MARK R. CRISTINO

A Philippine police van rammed demonstrators who were Wednesday protesting against the presence of US troops in the country outside the US embassy in Manila, a protest organizer said.

Police also fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the more than one thousand protestors who had gathered.

The demonstrators were holding a rally outside the embassy when the police began trying to disperse the crowd, said Renato Reyes, secretary general of the left-wing group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance).

Protestors threw red paint at the embassy's gate and vandalized the compound’s walls with slogans reading, "US troops out!" and "US, a plague to workers."

"Tear gas fired at protesting people in front of the US Embassy as programme was about to close," Reyes wrote on Twitter. "Some protesters run over by police vehicles in front of US Embassy."

Reyes said nearly 30 demonstrators were arrested, including a doctor and a nurse who were helping the injured.

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